In need of your sagely advice.
Background:
3 1/2 in public accounting (audit):
- 1 1/2 years with a regional firm
- 2 years with a boutique firm focusing on very small reporting companies (current frim)
- Passed all 4 parts of the CPA exam and expect to be certified soon (pending educational requirements)
I'm a senior at a boutique public accounting firm and I have questions about the direction of the firm and my own career. The audit partner and one of the two founders of the firm abruptly resigned (supposedly for personal reasons) and not long after that the audit team was trimmed from 6 to 4. While I'm happy that I wasn't a casualty of the downsize, I'm unsure if the firm will grow and provide me with any additional advancement opportunities. Also, the quality of the firm’s clients are atrocious and it has been a nightmare performing these audits. Although I do recognize that I have been able to learn a lot from these "dirty" audits. I've been working with a recruiter for the past 3 months, but so far have not been asked in for an interview from any of the public accounting firms. I've gotten some interviews on my own and have been offered a position as a Senior Consultant of financial audit (mainly SOX compliance) with a well-respected consulting firm that has a solid client base. I want to do what's best for my career and I am unsure of what my next step should be. Would exiting public accounting for a consultant role hamper my career aspirations to one day becoming a controller or similarly placed executive? Thank you for your advice.